Your Identity = Being Yourself

There was a time as a high schooler in the U.S. when I tried hard to be accepted by the people around me, thinking that I had to be American. However, I vividly remember that I felt so much better when I realized that it was okay to be Japanese, which is part of my identity… that it was okay to be myself.

Looking back on the self-coaching webinar I attended a few days ago, I feel that I need to be more aware of how I can be myself in the future, what kind of environment I need to put myself in, and what kind of preparation I need to do in order to do so.

What is your identity?

What is your ideal lifestyle? What do you need to do to achieve it?

In my case, the seven years I spent as a student in the U.S. made me think deeply about my identity, and I feel that this has greatly influenced who I am today.

I feel that education and the environment in which we put ourselves in have a huge impact on every aspect of our lives.

I also remember as if it were only yesterday that I worked in Singapore for 3 years and established my working style while managing projects in foreign companies and sometimes purely Japanese companies.

These are also experiences and environments that have shaped me into the person I am today.

And then there is coaching, which I encountered a few years ago. This too has had a great impact on me because of course , it is important for me to think about myself comprehensively, not only within the framework of work.

I am grateful to my trainer and others for providing me with this environment.

From now on, I think it will become more and more inevitable to think about oneself comprehensively, not only within the framework of compartmentalized areas of one’s life.

I feel it is important to think about your identity (your personality), your ideal lifestyle, and what you need to achieve it.

A few days ago, I received a wonderful gift from a good friend from my college days.

She took this picture of me while we were walking around town together at the time.

I saw the expression on my face and knew the moment I saw it that I wanted to continue to smile like this.

The World Trade Center, which was still there at the time, was in the background, which made me a little emotional.

My corporate work is not affected by Japan’s Obon break, so I am in normal work mode from today.

It is extremely hot in Japan, so I will spend my time making sure I don’t pass out out there!

For those of you still on Obon vacation, enjoy the rest of your time!

For the rest of you, may this be a week with many smiles on your face!